If you think you might enter the contest, you should join the contest discussion group. You can join either by sending a blank email
here
or by visiting the group on
Yahoo!
. The discussion group serves two purposes. First, it allows contestants to ask for clarifications to the rules. Be aware that sometimes these requests result in changes to the rules, and the first place those changes are announced is in the discussion group. Second, the discussion group allows contestants to interact with each other regarding programming techniques, results and anything else relevant to the contest.

I reserve the right to discontinue the contest at any time. I reserve the right to disqualify any entry or entrant for any reason that suits me. I reserve the right to interpret the rules as I see fit. I reserve the right to change the contest rules in mid-contest. In all matters contest-related, my word is final.

Can I enter the contest more than once, using different accounts?

No. Submitting entries from more than one account is not permitted.

Can teams enter the contest?

Collaboration is allowed. However, only one of the collaborators may register. If two contestants are found to have collaborated, even if this occurred before one or both registered, both will be disqualified.

What information about my solutions can I share in the discussion group?

There are two types of information that you are forbidden to post. The first is specific solutions. The second is code. You may post scores, so if you want to tell everyone that you got a raw score of 99 for n = 20 (whether true or not), go right ahead. Officially, you may also discuss the algorithms you are using but be aware that doing so annoys some people.

How can I find out what my individual subscores are?

You can't. I know this is frustrating, but it's a long standing policy that isn't going to change. Over the years it's been hotly debated in the discussion group and the contest administrator appears to have very strong feelings on the matter. You're going to have to learn to live with it. And I'd think twice before raising the issue yet again.

By the spring of 1945, he had seen further. He saw that the bombs would be used on cities. And he realized that to murder vast numbers of innocent civilians in the hope that it might make repetition of the crime less likely was immoral. The deaths would be certain. The future benefit was only hypothetical.

I think you give the wartime decision-makers too much credit in suggesting that their statements about the bomb were trying to preserve ambiguity. I think that any ambiguity reflects only their muddled thinking. As they marveled at the power of the bomb, the vast ocean of its implications lay undiscovered all around them.

As for the common perception that Hiroshima and Nagasaki created a moral barrier to future use of the bomb, I think that there is more truth to the opposite view. All the war-planning of the nuclear arms race was based on the assumption that using nuclear weapons on cities was legitimate. In other words, the nuclear arms race was predicated on the precedents of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. To this day, the USA hasn’t renounced or condemned such use.

Another fine post, Alex. I am a fan of John Dower’s work. I recommend Embracing Defeat: Japan in the Wake of World War II. The argument that doesn’t show up very much in these debates, but that I find persuasive, is this: Truman, Stimson and the rest were intent to do their utmost to end the war as quickly as possible. They, more than anyone, were acutely aware of the casualty counts. And what was in store the longer the war in the Pacific dragged on. Any argument that would have delayed a surrender would have been — and was — a very tough sell. MK

Hi Michael: I hope you are well! While there is no doubt that they wanted a swift end to the war, there is the question of how much they thought the atomic bomb would help with this, and how to optimally achieve this, and how to weigh that need against all of their other desires (e.g. re: the demands for unconditional surrender, which is an area where Stimson and Truman disagreed deeply). It is a complex issue, and they were trying to come up with the right solution for both the near and far time horizons.

The Target Committee ruled out nuking already-bombed cities because they didn’t think it would provide much “demonstration.” And I would note that Tokyo was still probably the most populous city in Japan in 1945 (3 million or so), even after all of that bombing and death.

Many conditions, stable or acute, can be treated in different ways, including PCI or surgical revascularization. The advances in technology imply that most coronary lesions are technically amenable to PCI; however, technical feasibility is only one element of the decision-making process, which should incorporate clinical presentation, severity of angina, extent of ischaemia, response to medical therapy, and extent of anatomical disease by angiography. Both revascularization methods carry procedure-related risks that are different to some extent in nature, rate, and time domain. Thus patients and physicians need to ‘balance short-term convenience of the less invasive PCI procedure against the durability of the more invasive surgical approach’ [
1
].

Formulation of the best possible revascularization approach, taking into consideration the social and cultural context also, will often require interaction between cardiologists and cardiac surgeons, referring physicians or other specialists as desirable. Patients need help in taking informed decisions about their treatment, and the most valuable advice will likely be provided to them by the Heart Team. Recognizing the importance of the interaction between (interventional) cardiologists and cardiac surgeons, the leadership of both the ESC and EACTS has given this Joint Task Force, their respective Guideline Committee, and the reviewers of this document the mission to draft balanced, patient-centred, evidence-driven practice guidelines on myocardial revascularization.

Myocardial revascularization is appropriate when the expected benefits, in terms of survival or health outcomes (symptoms, functional status, and/or quality of life), exceed the expected negative consequences of the procedure. Therefore, risk assessment is an important aspect of contemporary clinical practice, being of value to clinicians and patients. Over the long term, it allows quality control and the assessment of health economics, while also serving as a means for individual operators, institutions and regulatory bodies to assess and compare performance. Numerous different models have been developed for risk stratification, and those in current clinical use are summarized in
Table 3
. Comparative analyses of these models are limited because available studies have largely evaluated individual risk models in different patient populations with different outcome measures reported at various time points. These limitations restrict the ability to recommend one specific risk model; however:

Recommended risk stratification scores to be used in candidates for percutaneous coronary intervention or coronary artery bypass grafting

The EuroSCORE validated to predict surgical mortality was recently shown to be an independent predictor of major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) in studies with both percutaneous and surgical treatment arms [
2
,
3
]. Therefore, it can be used to determine the risk of revascularization irrespective of, and even before, the selection of treatment strategy. It has little role, however, in determining optimal treatment.

Then, he states the true purpose of the blog -- to explain
why
we should "never, never ever follow in [his] footsteps." In just three sentences, this introduction has captivated us and validated the story's existence with a looming life lesson. The takeaway? Keep it short, but powerful.

Here's a great example of an introduction that presents a problem and a solution to it. Sure, it's easy to build apps on Azure, Microsoft's cloud platform -- but maybe you had some issues with its setup. Well, wouldn't you know? Azure Advisor is here to address those challenges, and you can preview it for free.

But wait -- there's more. The introduction not only immediately presents a problem and a solution, but it concisely summarizes just
how
this product provides a fix. And, it explains why the text will be helpful, with the sentence, "In this blog post, we will do a quick tour of Azure Advisor and discuss how it can help optimize your Azure resources."

That's a best practice for brands that have made a mistake -- even a small one. Technology is great, but it can come with bugs. That's where an intro like this one can be so helpful. It acknowledges the problem, states what the brand has done to address it, and alerts the reader to continue to learn how that solution will work.

Strong introductions aren't just important for blogs -- they're essential to quality editorial pieces, too. That's why we love this introduction to an article from
Destination MO
, the Mandarin Oriental's official online magazine.

Remember that thing we said about a captivating start? In addition to being empathetic or funny, visuals can be huge -- not just an actual picture or video, but words that actually help the reader envision what you're describing. This introduction does just that, with expressive phrases like, "the magical silhouette of Mount Fuji on the horizon." Well, yeah. That does sound magical. But where can
I
go for such a view? None other than the "Mandarin Oriental, Tokyo," the author tells me, especially "from the sushi counter at Sushi Sora."

Here's the thing about this intro -- it gives the reader something to aspire to. We've briefly discussed
aspirational marketing
before, but this instance is one where it can be used in a brief introduction. After reading this first paragraph, I want to go to Tokyo. And when I'm there, I want to stay at the Mandarin Oriental. Then, I want to take in the views from its high-end sushi restaurant.

With just two sentences, I've gone from reading an article with my morning coffee, to fantasizing about a thousand-dollar vacation. So whenever possible, use your introduction to paint a picture, and to help your reader dream.